So the shopping center we're attached to had a security threat, as in there were guns involved. We weren't told why at first, but the whole front end was herded to the fire exit as far from the mall entrance as possible, in case we had to leave the building. I knew immediately, though, that it was probably guns because gas leak means we leave the building and go faaaaar away and with a bomb threat, why would we stay in the building?
So I had the fight-or-flight response going while my coworkers joked. I know they've never dealt with this kind of stuff; they're teens in a small Wisconsin town. But I am from southern California and have been robbed 3 times. I know how bad it can get. Anyway, within 5 minutes there's an arrest and we have to go back to work. No, I do not know why there were customers still in the store needing to be checked out after that, and there was a huge rush.
So on to my actual story. I had a woman and her adult daughter, who was actually the one buying stuff. I guess they didn't know what happened because the mom was super-cheerful, but I was still kind of freaked out a bit and trying to get back to normal. I didn't have the energy to be Disney-cheerful at that point. I greeted them and when she asked how I was, I wanted to say "Well, I'm glad we're still alive!" but that would be weird, so I answered, "OK." I immediately asked as cheerfully as I could if they had any of the special discounts or such, as a way in to talking about the credit app. But I couldn't get to that because then the mom, probably wanting to open discussion about why I was just ok, asked if I was going to be going home soon. I answered that I had an hour to go. I went on with the transaction and the daughter was using the card reader when the mom walked around in front of my counter, out of my sight. Now, let me point out that through all of this the daughter was supposed to be my customer, not the mom, but the mom kept dominating the conversation. The daughter didn't really say anything. So after walking around the counter, just as we were about finished, the mom said from behind my screen, "Well, I hope you had a good day." I wished them a good day as cheerfully as I could.
So why does this bug me? Because even though it should've been clear I didn't want to spill my guts about the day I was having, she kept pushing the small talk. I notice this junk a lot more here than I ever did on the west coast. If I want you to know how I feel, I will tell you. I've never been accused of not being blunt, trust me.
So I had the fight-or-flight response going while my coworkers joked. I know they've never dealt with this kind of stuff; they're teens in a small Wisconsin town. But I am from southern California and have been robbed 3 times. I know how bad it can get. Anyway, within 5 minutes there's an arrest and we have to go back to work. No, I do not know why there were customers still in the store needing to be checked out after that, and there was a huge rush.
So on to my actual story. I had a woman and her adult daughter, who was actually the one buying stuff. I guess they didn't know what happened because the mom was super-cheerful, but I was still kind of freaked out a bit and trying to get back to normal. I didn't have the energy to be Disney-cheerful at that point. I greeted them and when she asked how I was, I wanted to say "Well, I'm glad we're still alive!" but that would be weird, so I answered, "OK." I immediately asked as cheerfully as I could if they had any of the special discounts or such, as a way in to talking about the credit app. But I couldn't get to that because then the mom, probably wanting to open discussion about why I was just ok, asked if I was going to be going home soon. I answered that I had an hour to go. I went on with the transaction and the daughter was using the card reader when the mom walked around in front of my counter, out of my sight. Now, let me point out that through all of this the daughter was supposed to be my customer, not the mom, but the mom kept dominating the conversation. The daughter didn't really say anything. So after walking around the counter, just as we were about finished, the mom said from behind my screen, "Well, I hope you had a good day." I wished them a good day as cheerfully as I could.
So why does this bug me? Because even though it should've been clear I didn't want to spill my guts about the day I was having, she kept pushing the small talk. I notice this junk a lot more here than I ever did on the west coast. If I want you to know how I feel, I will tell you. I've never been accused of not being blunt, trust me.
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